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List of people who have lit the Olympic cauldron
, a former Chinese gymnast, lit the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics.|alt=An Asian man in red-and-white athletics shirt and shorts, and wearing sneakers, is suspended by wires in the air while holding a lit torch in his right hand. In the background, a large crowd in a stadium can be seen, as well as two blurred flags hoisted in flagpoles.]] The tradition of carrying the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games, to the host city of the modern Olympic Games via a torch relay was first introduced in 1936, ahead of the 1936 Summer Olympics. Since then, famous athletes (active or retired) with significant sporting achievements while representing the host country, promising young athletes, or other individuals with symbolic significance, have been selected as the last runners in the Olympic torch relay and consequently have the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony. History The first well-known athlete to light the cauldron was nine-time Olympic champion Paavo Nurmi at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Other famous final torch bearers include French football star Michel Platini (1992), heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (1996), Australian sprinter Cathy Freeman (2000), the Canadian ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky (2010), the marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (2016) and the South Korean figure skating champion Yuna Kim (2018). On other occasions, the people who lit the cauldron were not famous but nevertheless symbolized the Olympic ideals. Japanese runner Yoshinori Sakai was born in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, the day the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb. He symbolized the rebirth of Japan after the Second World War when he lit the Olympic cauldron of the 1964 Summer Olympics. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, two teenagers—representing the French- and the English-speaking parts of the country—symbolized the unity of Canada. Norway's Crown Prince Haakon lit the cauldron of the 1994 Winter Olympics, in honor of his father and grandfather, both Olympians. For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, seven aspiring young athletes—each nominated by a former British Olympic champion—had the honor of lighting the cauldron. People who have lit the Olympic cauldron carrying the Olympic torch down the steps of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, 1936.]] , the final torchbearer at Wembley Stadium in London, 1948.]] lighting the cauldron in Helsinki Olympic Stadium, 1952.]] running with the torch on the track at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, 1960]] on the way to light the cauldron at National Stadium in Tokyo, 1964.]] , the first woman to light the cauldron, at the Estadio Universitario in Mexico City, 1968.]] and Stéphane Préfontaine, representing French and English Canada, lights the cauldron in Montreal, 1976.]] lighting the Olympic fire at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, 1980.]] , Brazilian marathonist lighting the cauldron in Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, 2016.]] Youth Olympics See also *Olympic flame *List of Olympic torch relays References External links * Category:Olympic flame Olympic cauldron Olympic cauldron Category:Olympics opening ceremonies